I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to eyeglasses and, more particularly, to an eyeglass assembly having detachable nosepieces of differing lateral widths and vertical heights in order to accommodate different pupillary distances and pupillary heights for different persons.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The previously known eyeglasses typically comprise a frame having openings adapted to receive both the right and left lenses. A bridge extends laterally across the central portion of the eyeglass frame and supports the eyeglass frame on the nose of the user. In the well known fashion, a pair of stems also attach the eyeglass frame to the ears of the user.
In these previously known eyeglasses, the front of the eyeglass frame is usually molded as a one-piece construction. Consequently, the distance in between the lens openings as well as the vertical position of the lens openings with respect to the bridge are fixed.
As is well known in the art, since the lateral spacing between the lens openings is fixed, it is necessary to accurately trim the eyeglass lenses prior to insertion into the frame. Such trimming ensures that the optical center of the eyeglass lenses is properly matched for the pupillary distance, i.e. the distance between the pupils of the eyeglass wearer as well as the vertical position of the optical center with respect to the nosepiece. Unless the lenses are properly trimmed prior to insertion in the eyeglass frames, the optical centers for the eyeglass lenses will be offset from the pupils of the eyeglass wearer and result in faulty vision correction for the person.
The difficulty of individual fitting and trimming of eyeglass lenses is particularly acute in third world countries. Such third world countries typically lack the financial resources, technical expertise and sheer manpower necessary to individually measure and fit eyeglass lenses to the frames for its population.